Chairs



United States Patent CHAIRS Warren J. Peterson, Ludington, Mich, assignor to Carrom Industries, Inc., Ludington, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application June 25, 1956, Serial No. 593,416

Claims. (Cl. 155-191) This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in furniture and, more particularly, to a chair or similar seating structure.

In the construction of chairs in which the frame is made up of a plurality of separate structure members, usually fabricated from wood, it is necessary that the assembled chair or chair frame be as rigid a supporting structure as possible. This rigidity is necessary because, in actual use, a chair is subjected to stresses in all directions. Consequently, unless the chair is rigid in all three dimensions, it will, after a period of use, tend to weaken at the joints and become wobbly and unsteady.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a chair which is rigid, stable, and is capable of resisting stresses in all directions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair which is maintained in a stable and rigid condition by the utilization of triangulated framing.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a chair which generally consists of a back supporting structure, a seat supporting structure, and means for joining the back and seat supporting structures whereby triangulated framing structure is formed making the chair unusually stable and rigid.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the chair shown in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are side and rear elevational views, respectively, of the chair shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodi ment of the present invention, A generally designates a chair which includes a seat frame 1 comprising a pair of parallel side rails 2, 3, which are transversely connected by a forward cross member 4 and a rear cross member 5, the latter being located a substantial distance forwardly from the rear ends of the side rails 2, 3, in the provision of a rectangular structure. Rigidly attached to the side rails 2, 3, in rearwardly spaced relation to the forward ends thereof, are front legs 6, 7, and mortised or otherwise rigidly secured to the side rails 2, 3, are rear legs 8, 9. The legs 6, 7, 8, 9, are artistically tapered and are respectively provided at their lower ends with conventional floor contacting glides 10, 11, 12, 13. As will be noted by reference to Fig. 1, the legs 6, 8, converge upwardly toward each other and are connected by an arm member 14 which, at its forward end, rigidly engages the upper end of the leg member 6 and, at its rear end, is turned down and socketed in rear leg 8 downwardly from the upper end thereof. Similarly, the legs 7, 9, converge upwardly toward each other and are connected by an arm member 15 which, at its forward end, rigidly 2,771,940 Patented Nov. 27, 1956 engages the upper end of the leg member 7 and, at its rear end, is turned down and socketed in rear leg 9 downwardly from the upper end thereof. The arms 14, 15, are parallel to each other and to the side rails 2, 3, thereby forming auxiliary structural components of the seat frame 1. X

Socketed at its ends in and extending horizontally between the legs 8, 9, is an upper back-frame forming member 17 and similarly socketed at its ends and extending horizontally between the arms 14, 15, is a lower back-frame forming member 18 which is spaced substantially forwardly from the legs 8, 9, and the upper back-frame forming member 17. Socketed at their upper ends in the underside of the upper member 17 and at their lower ends at the lower member 18 are two downwardly and forwardly converging side members 19, 20, which, in effect, form structural bracing triangles. In other words, two side members 19, 2%), create a form of triangulated bracing in three planes as may be seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and are therein diagrammatically designated by the dotted-line triangles a-bc; d-e-f; and x -z.

As will be noted by reference to Fig. 3, the forward cross member 4 is located substantially in front of the legs 6, 7, and the rear cross member 5 is sli htly in front of the lower back-frame forming member 18.

As will also be noted by reference to Fig. 3, the members 17, 18, 19, and 2%) all lie in the same plane and together comprise a back-rest structure. Also, the rear legs 8 and 9 lie in the same'plane, and together with the member 17, in effect, form a rear-supporting frame. Thus the back-rest structure and rear-supporting frame have a common structural element. The seat frame 1, in effect, lies in a plane which inclines downwardly and rearwardly at a comfortable angle for the user and forms acute angles with the planes of the back-rest structure and rear-supporting frame.

A seat cushion 21 is suitably secured to side rails 2, 3, and to cross members 4, 5, and back cushion 22 is suitably secured to members 17, 18, 19, and 29. The seat cushion 21 and back cushion 22 are not described in detail as they are of conventional construction, the details of which form no part of the present invention.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the chair may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A chair comprising a seat frame including a pair of side rails and spaced apart rearward and forward cross members joined to the side rails, a pair of arms positioned above the side rails, a pair of upstanding front legs respectively joined at their upper ends to the arms, said front legs also being respectively joined to the side rails, a rear frame including a pair of co-planar upstanding rear legs, said arms and said side rails being joined to said upstanding rear legs, an upper back-frame forming member joining the rear legs, a lower back-frame forming member joining the arms, said upper and lower backframe forming members being parallel, said lower backframe forming member being positioned forwardly of and out of the plane formed by the rear legs, and a pair of co-planar side members converging toward each other and joined to the upper and lower back-frame forming members, whereby a triangulated bracing structure is formed and the seat and rear frames are maintained in a rigid, stable condition when a force is applied in any direction.

2. A chair comprising a seat frame including a pair of side rails and spaced apart rearward and forward cross members joined to the side rails, a pair of arms said front legs alsobeing respectively joined to the side,

' applied inany direction.

positioned above the side rails, a pair of upstanding front legs respectively joined at their upperends to, the arms,

rails, a rear frame including a pair of co-planar upstanding rear legs, said arms and said side rails being joined to said upstanding rear legs, a pair of side imernbers, converging toward each other, and extending lengthwise from the plane formed by the upstanding rear legs to the plane formed by the arms, whereby atr'ian'gulated structure is formed'and the seat and rear'frames are maintained in a rigid, stable condition when orce is pair of substantially co-planar arms eac-h'arm being re 3; A chair comprising a seatiframe including a pair of side rails and spaced apart rearward and forward cross members joined to the side rails, a pair ofiarrns positioned above the side rails, a pair of upstanding front legs respectively joined attheir upper ends to the arms, said front legs also being respectively joined to the 'side rails,

a rear frame including a pair of co-planar upstanding 'the upper and lower back-frame forming members,

whereby a triangulated bracing structure is formed and 'the 'seat and rear frames are maintained in a' rigid, stable condition 'when a force is applied in any direction.

4. A chair comprising a seat frame, a rear frame in eluding a pair of upstanding co-planar rear supports, a

'spectively joined ,tola rear support, a pair. of side members converging toward each other and extending length-' wise from the plane formed by the'upstanding rear frame to the plane formed by the arms, whereby a triangulated framing structure'is formed and the seat and rear frames are maintained in a rigid; stable condition when a' force is applied in any directions a 5. A chair comprising' a seat frame, a rear frame i11 v eluding a pair of co-planar upstanding rear supports, a1

of substantiallyj,co-planar arms, each iarm being oined to a rear support, an upper back-frame forming a member joining the rearisupports, a lower back-frame forming member joiningthe arms, said lower back-frame forming member being positioned forwardly of and out of the plane formed by'the rear frame, and a pairrof side members, converging toward each other, and joined to i the upper and lower back-frame forming members, whereby a triangulated framingstructure'is formed and theseat and rear frames'are maintained in a rigid, stable condition when a force is applied in any direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS,

335,428 7 1,449,473 Westbrook V 7 Mar. 27, 1923' 2,705,528 Friedlan'der Apr. 5, 1955 V VFOREIGNVPATENTSV VGreat Britain 1885 Clayton V Feb; 2. 1886 

